Under the theme â€˜Broadband for Sustainable Development', the conference, being held from March 30 to April 10 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, will focus on development priorities in telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICT) and agree on the programmes, projects and initiatives to implement them.

Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the UAE, and Head of the UAE delegation, was elected Chairman of the Conference in the opening session.

He said the focus on the theme brings attention to the critical aspect of leading-edge ICT in enhancing a nation's development.

"Since the beginning of this Millennium, mobile cellular subscriptions have continued to rise, social media usage has rocketed, and an ever-increasing number of people across the globe have been able to access the internet, making use of the immeasurable quantity of information that greater connectivity provides," Al Ganem said.

â€˜Digital divide'
"Yet one of the most persisting concerns that face us all is the â€˜digital divide'. Serious practical solutions are required to close the gap and stem this endemic inequality of access."
"ICTs, and in particular broadband networks, offer perhaps the greatest opportunity we have ever had to make rapid and profound advances in global social and economic development," said Hamadoun TourÃ
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